Napanee District Secondary School

ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION & REPORTING

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

Assessment is the process of collecting and interpreting information about your progress with respect to learning skills and work habits, and to the overall expectations of each course as they are described by the Ministry of Education and listed on your course outline. Teachers use assessment to give feedback by describing your strengths and next steps as a learner so that you know how to improve your work.  The three types of assessment are described below. 

Diagnostic assessment tasks let both you and the teacher know where you are and what you need to learn next. You can use the information that these tasks generate to determine your next steps for learning.

Formative assessment tasks give you a chance to get feedback to help you do well on the summative assessment task.  Not doing the work would be like arriving at a championship game or a musical recital without practising beforehand. The most important part is the feedback; grades are not necessarily assigned to these tasks; they do not contribute to your final grade because they focus on learning and less on the level of achievement.  

Summative assessment tasks are used to confirm what you know or are able to do at the end of a unit of study.  A summative assessment task consolidates your learning in that unit of study.  Formative assessment tasks and activities help you prepare for summative assessment tasks.  The rubrics or checklists that the teachers give to you will help you to see exactly what you need to know to do well on the task.  Feedback offered on summative tasks helps you to be successful on summative assessment tasks that you’ll complete later in the semester, including the final summative assessment task. 

WHAT IS EVALUATION?

Evaluation is the process of judging the quality of your learning skills and work habits or academic achievement of the overall expectations of the course, and assigning a mark or grade to reflect that quality.

Think of it this way: After you have experienced opportunities through formative assessment, you then have the opportunity to complete an assessment task that allows you to demonstrate what it is you know and can do.  When your teacher assigns a mark to the assessment, this is referred to as evaluation as it is the information that teachers use to determine your final grade.

WHAT IS REPORTING?

Reporting is the communication to you as well as to your parents/guardians of your most consistent level of achievement across the overall expectations and of the six learning skills and work habits. The grade you get will indicate the most consistent level of achievement at the time of the report.  Teachers will evaluate your work in relation to the provincial standard (Level 3 or 70% - 79%). Your teacher will give consideration to the most consistent evidence of achievement across the expectations, and will take into consideration growth in your demonstrated achievement.  Your academic achievement is reported in the form of a numerical grade while the learning skills and work habits are reported as a letter grade: E (excellent), G (good), S (satisfactory), or N (needs improvement).

When Does Reporting Occur?

Reporting happens at least twice per semester.  Mid-term and final reporting are done on the provincial report card, which is kept in your Ontario Student Record (OSR).   Early Reports are provided to grade 9 and 10 students early on in each semester.  The Early Report focuses on the learning skills and the teacher’s first impressions of your work in the course. 

What Is Full Disclosure?

Failing grades at the intermediate level (grades 9 and 10) will not appear on your transcript. At the senior level (grades 11 and 12), failing or low grades will not be included if you withdraw from a specific course within five days after the mid-semester reporting period. If the withdrawal occurs after this time, the grade will remain on the transcript. This policy is provincially mandated and is referred to as "full disclosure.”

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Your academic achievement is decided by your performance on your term work, as well as on your final summative assessment task(s).

Term Work: 

70% of your grade will be based on summative assessments conducted throughout the course. It is critical that you complete all summative assessment tasks to ensure that your teachers have adequate evidence of your learning for grading purposes.  Teachers assign a limited number of summative assessment tasks, so it is imperative that you complete all of them to demonstrate to your teacher what you have learned.  Refer to your course outline for a tentative list of summative assessment tasks in each of your subjects.

Due Dates for Term Work:

Deadlines are designed to help ensure that you are successful and that you complete all course requirements. It is your responsibility to plan ahead.  Your success in this area will be reflected in the learning skills and work habits section of the report card. In cases of illness or religious holiday, deadlines may be adjusted to meet your needs.  In cases where you are aware that you may have difficulties meeting a deadline, it is expected that you speak to the teacher in advance of the day that the assignment is due to discuss alternative submission options. Summative assessment tasks are not optional and it is expected that you will submit all summative assessment tasks on the date that they are due.  

Think of it this way: There are times when circumstances in your life will create challenges for meeting due dates. If such a circumstance were to arise, communication with your teacher is important so that s/he knows why the due date is posing a problem.  If you don’t talk to your teacher about solutions, then s/he may assume that there isn’t a reasonable excuse for you not to meet the due date.  On your course outline there is a list of summative assignments so that you are able to anticipate the demands of each course and plan accordingly.  Your teachers need evidence of what you have learned to grant the credit and the credit can’t be granted until such evidence is provided. 

Final Summative Assessments Task(s): 

30% of your grade will be based on final summative assessment task(s), in the form of an examination, culminating activity and/or any other method of assessment suitable to the course’s overall expectations and delivery.  These will be administered towards the end of the semester.

Completion of Final Summative Assessment Task(s):

You must write examinations and/or complete all final summative assessment tasks at the scheduled times.  The only exceptions will be conflicts in the schedule, medical reasons, or a court order.  If you miss a final summative assessment for medical reasons, you will need to see an administrator.  You must not make any plans, including travel, that conflict with your final summative assessment schedule. You are informed at the beginning of the school year of the exact dates of the examination period. In the case of exceptional circumstances, parents should contact the principal. Plans for holidays or employment are not acceptable reasons for missing a final summative assessment.

Accommodations:

All students require support from teachers, classmates, family, and friends to achieve success in their course work.  Some students receive supports beyond those typically provided in the school setting.  These needs may be met through accommodations.  Accommodations are set out in Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to meet the needs of exceptional students.  There are three types of accommodations:

-     Instructional accommodations are changes in teaching strategies, like presentation styles, organisational methods, and technology use, that support student learning and success.

-     Environmental accommodations are changes in the classroom setting, like preferential setting, or special lighting, that support student learning and success.

-     Assessment accommodations are changes in the way that student work is assessed, like allowing extra time for students to complete work, and permitting students to offer oral responses to test questions, to support student learning and success.

Accommodations allow all students to achieve to their full potential in their course work.

WHAT ARE LEARNING SKILLS AND WORK HABITS?

Learning skills and work habits are assessed and evaluated separately from your academic achievement.  You will be assessed frequently on your level of achievement of the following six learning skills and work habits through conferences with your teacher, observation during class activities, and through completion of assignments where specific learning skills are addressed; you will be evaluated at mid-term and again at the end of the semester with a letter grade (E=excellent, G=good, S=satisfactory, N=needs improvement):

1.    Responsibility (e.g. fulfils responsibilities and commitments within the learning environment, completes and submits class work, homework, and assignments according to agreed-upon timelines; takes responsibility for managing own behaviour)

2.   Organization (e.g. devises and follows a plan for completing work and tasks; establishes priorities and manages time to complete tasks and achieve goals; identifies, gathers, evaluates and uses information, technology and resources to complete tasks)

3.   Independent Work ( e.g. independently monitors, assesses, and revises plans to complete tasks and meet goals; uses class time appropriately to complete tasks; follows instructions with minimal supervision)

4.   Collaboration (e.g. accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group; responds positively to the ideas, values, opinions and traditions of other; builds healthy peer-to-peer relationships through personal and media-assisted interactions; works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals; shares information, resources, and expertise, and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions)

5.   Initiative (e.g. looks for and acts on new ideas and opportunities for learning; demonstrates the capacity for innovation and a willingness to take risks; demonstrates curiosity and interest in learning; approaches new tasks with a positive attitude; recognizes and advocates appropriately for the rights of self and others)

6.   Self-regulation (e.g. sets own individual goals and monitors progress towards achieving them; seeks clarification or assistance when needed; assesses and thinks critically on own strengths, needs and interests; identifies learning opportunities, choices, and strategies to meet personal needs and achieve goals; perseveres and makes an effort when responding to challenges)

Think of it this way: Learning skills and work habits are important skills to develop. First, well-developed learning skills and work habits often help to improve your academic achievement.  As you develop the ability to understand how you learn, recognize areas for improvement, and set goals for yourself you become more involved in your learning.  Remember, school is not happening to you; rather, you are in charge of your success.  Second, focusing on learning skills and work habits helps prepare you for success beyond school.  For instance, your learning skills and work habits achievement will be of interest to employers who are considering you as a potential employee.

WHAT ABOUT ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY?

Your grades are determined by your most consistent level of achievement across the overall expectations and the categories of the achievement charts of the provincial curricula.  Your learning skills and work habits are important because they support your academic achievement of these expectations.  In much the same way, attending regularly and arriving punctually are important for success in your course work.  Your teachers will expect you to attend regularly and arrive on time, prepared to work.

hink of it this way:  Your teachers want you to do your best.  Arriving on time and attending regularly show your teachers that you’re interested in doing your best.  Remember that your report card captures all measures of achievement; attending your classes and arriving on time are included as part of these measures on your report card to communicate the importance of these in terms of your success at school.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

Academic honesty is a core value in our school. If you submit work or parts of work that are not your own, you have not shown that you can demonstrate the curriculum expectations.  A breach of academic honestly is the theft of intellectual property and is treated with the utmost seriousness. To avoid this, your teachers will help you plan your work.  If you find that you require assistance in order to complete the assignment properly, see your teacher well in advance of the due date.  Your teacher can help you to establish a reasonable timeline to complete an assignment and/or strategies to do your research and write your final submission.  Remember when you do research, that you must cite all sources.  See the information at the end of this agenda for citation rules and methods.

Breach of Academic Honesty: Breaches of academic honesty are the intentional attempts to gain credit for work that is not your own.  For intentional and/or excessive cases where you have submitted work that is clearly not your own, your teacher will speak to you and the following will apply: